Christmas at the Lazy M
by Yankee01754
Summary: The detectives spend the Christmas holidays at Cayce's ranch.  No longer guests they are treated like family by everyone - especially her cousins Dan and Josh.


Christmas at the Lazy M

By Janet Brayden

The air was frosty and the snow was four feet deep, for another twelve inches had fallen in the days since the McKennas had put on the Christmas show at Fort Irwin.

Inside the Lazy M ranch house a fire crackled in the living room fireplace thanks to Cayce's cousin, Dan Laasanen. The park ranger was as much an expert at building a fire as he was at fighting them in the parks and forests he patrolled.

The atmosphere was electric with excitement and the house echoed with laughter, shouts and music. Cayce's housekeeper had brought in several large bowls of popcorn and cranberries which the girls were stringing without any help from the men - they didn't trust them to string rather than eat.

Cody, Nick and Colonel Brian McKenna were standing by the fireplace with a seven and a half foot Douglas fir that had been chosen for the house's Christmas tree that year. Cody was on the left, Colonel McKenna on the right and Nick was pretty well hidden from sight behind the tree. All that could be seen was one arm encased in red and black plaid and his stocking feet since he'd removed his boots once they'd come in out of the snow. They could have been heard halfway down the road as they argued about whether or not the tree was straight and where to put it.

"Here're the lights," red-headed Josh McKenna said as he, and Murray Bozinsky, entered the room carrying boxes they'd retrieved from the attic.

"I've got the ornaments and tinsel," Murray informed her.

"Good. Did you find the tree skirt? How about the angel tree topper?"

"I'm not sure," Murray confessed. "I just grabbed everything that looked like it was tree related."

"Don't worry about it, Boz," Cayce told him. "As soon as Nick and Cody - and Uncle Brian - are through arguing about whether or not the tree is straight and in the right spot, we'll sort through everything. If they aren't here we'll go up to the attic and look around. I know they're there somewhere."

Cody heard her comment and protested, "We're not arguing!"

"What would you call it?" she asked.

"We're having a friendly discussion," Nick answered her from behind the tree.

Cayce and the others hooted.

"If your discussion gets any 'friendlier' I'll be seeing Uncle Brian lay you out with a right cross," Josh laughed.

"Hey! I resent that!" Colonel McKenna exclaimed. "You know I wouldn't do that to either one of them!"

Cayce jumped on the chance to give her uncle a hard time.

"Oh? And who was it, then, that offered to take Nick outside and go a few rounds with him over his behavior at the dinner table a couple of months ago?"

Everyone present laughed for they remembered the incident quite well - especially Danny and Josh who had been the instigators of the whole thing.

"Hey, what's this?" Josh had been opening boxes and discovered the train set that the men of the Riptide had received from Santa the year before - Santa being Cayce and Brian McKenna.

"Put that down this instant!" Cayce ordered him. "That belongs to Cody, Nick and Murray - you're not allowed to play with it unless they say so!"

"If he behaves himself," Nick said from his safe location behind the tree, "we might let him help set it up."

"Oh, I"ll be good," Josh assured him. "I can be very good when I want to be."

"When would that be, nephew?" Brian asked.

Everyone laughed - even Josh.

Within an hour, the tree was up and decorated. Christmas music filled the air as well as laughter.

When the tree was done the room lights were turned off. It was time for a McKenna family tradition.

"Everyone find a seat," Cayce said. "It's time for Uncle Brian to sing. Go on, Uncle Brian," she said.

Dan, sitting by the stereo, cued the colonel's music. The sound of a harp playing issued forth from the speakers. Brian, dressed very casually in jeans, blue shirt and green, black and gold plaid sweater, stood by the fireplace. His pleasant baritone filled the room as he sang O Holy Night. When he was through there was silence for a moment. Then his youngest niece spoke up," Andy Williams couldn't have done it any better," she declared.

"That's high praise," Josh said, "'cause she loves Andy Williams' version."

"Enough serious stuff," Dan said as he put a different tape in. "It's time for some fun! Come on fellas - it's time to move the furniture and roll up the carpets. It's time for 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree'! I'm claiming Josefina for my partner!"

"Oh, no, Señor Dan," the Mexican woman protested.

"This from the woman who taught all of us the liveliest Mexican folk dances," Dan laughed. "Come on, Josefina. Just this one dance then I'll let you go hide in the kitchen if you want."

Reluctantly the housekeeper gave in and agreed to the one dance with Dan.

"I'm claiming Cody!" Cayce declared. I want to find out if he still know how to dance the way he did when he was a teenager."

Erika claimed Boz and Sarah got Brian as her partner. That left Nick and Josh without partners for the time being. It was a small, uneven group that was gathered right now but the merriment would continue and there was always the chance that other members of the family would arrive - or neighbors - to even it up.

The men quickly moved the couch, chairs and other furniture out of the way and rolled up the carpet which they moved into Cayce's office.

Upon their return Josh started the tape and Brenda Lee's voice soon filled the air as well as shouts and laughter.

For all his reluctance Cody did pretty well - as long as he ignored Nick who, sitting on the sidelines, kept making wisecracks and distracting his buddy.

"Don't worry about it, Cody," his "sister" told him. "His turn is coming."

The two turned their attention back to their dance. Cayce was delighted that Cody still remembered. He really was quite good.

When that song ended, Cayce requested "Jingle Bell Rock". It was the football hero's turn and he was going to get heckled as much as he'd heckled Cody. The music started and Cayce was giggling so hard that she almost flubbed her own steps. she quickly recovered, though, and put Nick to shame. She wasn't allowing the ten year difference in their ages to afford him any excuses for not keeping up.

"Come on, Nick!" Cody was laughing so hard he had tears running down his face. "You're not going to let the 'colonel's little girl' do better than you are you?"

He leaned toward Dan who was sitting this one out, "This reminds of the time Murray's sister, Melba, came for a visit. We went to Straightaway's for dinner and dancing. She hardly danced with me at all but she wore Nick out."

Just then the doorbell rang. Josefina answered it to find the deliver boy from the Sunny Acres Pizza House at the door with the pizzas and soda Cayce had ordered for supper.

"Food!" Josh yelled and grabbed the pizza boxes.

Murray took some of the soda while Cody grabbed the rest.

Brian McKenna paid the delivery boy while Cayce gave him a box of cookies and fudge to take along with him.

Josefina came from the kitchen where she'd gone to get paper plates and such. Seeing her carrying those things and a large bowl of ice, Nick hastened to relieve her of her burden. Dan, Sarah and Erika cleared the dining room table and helped Josh spread the pizza boxes out. Company present or not, Dan and Josh were the first ones to grab plates and napkins and help themselves.

"Danny! Josh! Where are your manners?" Cayce scolded them. "Let our guests get theirs first!"

"Guests? I don't see any guests." Josh said. "All I see is family."

"In that case, Cousin," Nick said with a gleam in his eye, "I'll just relieve you of _my_ pizza."

He took the plate that Josh had loaded for himself and grabbed a coke and a cup of ice as well as a napkin. Cody followed suit by relieving Dan of his plate and pushed him aside so the girls, the colonel and Murray could get their food.

"Hey! There's nothing left for us!" Dan protested.

"There's plenty left," Colonel McKenna told him. "If you're going to treat the lieutenants like family you can expect to be treated the same. You got what you deserved - both of you." With a gleam in his eye he added, "I'm just sorry I didn't think to do it to you myself."

Everyone laughed as Cayce told the detectives, "You are now officially a part of my extended family. Dan and Josh have officially inducted you with their attempt to be first in line for the food. Only problem is you'll have to watch them every time you're all here or they'll keep doing it."

"Congratulations, guys," Erika added with a laugh. "You handled them very well. That's exactly what our fathers would have done. They'll be happy to know you've learned the secret to keeping these two in line."

"Is that all it takes?" Nick asked jokingly. "We'll be sure to remember that the next time."

For the next hour it was fairly quiet in the house as the "family" sat around in groups of two or three - sometimes more - eating and drinking. The paper goods were disposed of in the fireplace as soon as the last piece of pizza had been consumed. What was left of the sodas was taken out to the kitchen and put in the refrigerator. The leftover paper goods were put back in the pantry.

While the others were doing that, Dan banked the fire in the living room. As he did so bells could be heard at the front of the house, accompanied by hoof beats.

"Cayce, the wagon's here," Dan called.

"Great!" she exclaimed. "Everybody get warm jackets and boots on and let's get on board."

Everyone donned jackets, scarves and gloves. A few, Murray among them, donned warm stocking caps as well.

When they were ready they went out the front door to find that the Lazy M's hay wagon, with the matching pair of Clydesdales hitched to it, was waiting for them. The wagon was filled with fragrant hay. It had recently been painted bright red by two of the ranch hands and had yellow wheels. KC Campion and Frank Hardin, a young man whom they detectives had originally thought was unfriendly but discovered was really just very shy, had added twelve-inch wreaths to both of the long sides of the wagon. The wreaths were resplendent with bright red bows edged in gold.

"Boss!" Murray exclaimed when he saw it.

"All aboard," Cayce told the group. "We're going caroling."

"Caroling? In a horse-drawn wagon full of hay? Boss!" Murray was really excited. Visits to the Lazy M could be so interesting - and fun and this looked like a lot of fun to the computer whiz.

Josefina came to the front door with an armload of blankets for the carolers to huddle under. It came as no surprise to anyone that Cody and Nick managed to find seats next to Sarah and Erika and were huddled close by the young womens' sides ensuring that they were well covered.

Rob and Roy, the twin Clydesdales, waited patiently while everyone climbed aboard and got settled. Brian Hays, the young cowboy who had been chosen to drive the wagon this time also waited patiently.

"All set, Miss Cayce?" he asked.

"All set," she answered. "Let's go."

Brian gave the lines a brief snap and the team stepped out briskly. Their breath, as well as that of the passenger and driver, showed as white clouds of vapor as they rode along.

When they got to the main trail between the Lazy M and the Circle J the singing began, starting with Jingle Bells.

It being a song known to all even the Riptide detectives sang with gusto.

"_How can we not?" Murray wondered to himself. "We've surrounded by friends and it's a beautiful night. This reminds me a little of Christmas back east, in Cambridge, when I was going to MIT. No, it's better. I wasn't surrounded by friends who like me for me instead of because I'm kind of famous. Cayce isn't like that and neither is the colonel. And her cousins are all just as nice."_

Jingle Bells gave way to We Three Kings which gave way to Joy to the World. The woods rang with laughter and singing as well as the jingling of the bells on the horses' harness. As they approached the main drive to the Circle J they could see some people mounted on horses and ponies ready to follow them.

The caroling hay ride went on for about an hour before Josh and Dan got silly again.

"Let's sing Cayce's favorite," Josh suggested with a sly wink at Dan.

"Let's not, if it's what I think you're thinking," his cousin told them.

"Ah, come on Cayce, you know you love this song." Dan was not easily dissuaded and started to sing, "'Grandma got run over'...awk!"

His singing was cut off by Cayce who dropped a large armful of hay over his head.

"I said, let's not," she told him as she triumphantly took her seat next to Murray again.

Colonel McKenna gave his nephew, Josh, a warning look. "Don't you even _think _about continuing this nonsense or you'll wind up regretting it."

"How?" Josh wanted to know. "She would dare dump me out in the snow."

"There are ways, cousin, there are ways," Cayce said. Already she was plotting how she was going to fix the two of them. There were a couple of family traditions yet to be observed back at the Lazy M and she was more than ready for the first one.

After a two hour drive around to the local ranches they arrived back at the house and disembarked from the wagon.

""Grandma got run over by a reindeer...'" Josh started in.

"Hey! I told you _not_ to sing that stupid song," Cayce complained.

"Come on, Cayce, you love it and you know it," Josh told her.

"Just as much as you love snow down the back of your neck," she told him.

Bending down she quickly formed a snowball and went after him. Cody tried to stop her but he was a couple of steps too slow. Chasing Josh, who was laughing too hard to pay attention to what he was doing, she caught him as he stumbled over his own feet. Triumphantly, she pounced on him and stuffed the snow between his neck and the back of his shirt.

"Hey! That's cold!"

"And wet, and it's what you deserve!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Josh made a snowball of his own and got to his feet quickly planning on stuffing a snowball down Cayce's back only Cody got in the way. The snowball caught the blond in the chest. Getting into the spirit of things he made one and threw it at Josh. It missed Josh and hit Dan. Dan threw one back only it hit Nick. Nick threw one and missed Dan, who ducked, but hit Sarah.

"Enough!" Brian McKenna yelled to no avail.

Anything else he was going to say was lost when the snowball Sarah threw at Nick missed the Italian but hit him instead. Before long a full fledged snowball fight was taking place in the yard with even the ranch hands joining in the fun. It didn't end until an errant snowball hit Josefina when she came out to investigate what all the noise was about.

Apologizing profusely to Josefina who scolded them all - including Colonel McKenna - for acting like children, and laughing, the group headed into the house to warm up. Dan got the fire going again and Josh turned on the stereo so they could listen to some more music. First, though, Cayce and her uncle had to do their duet of "White Christmas" with Cayce playing the piano. Everyone clapped in appreciation when they were through.

"I never knew you could sing like that, Colonel," Nick said.

"We never had much time for singing, Captain Ryder," Brian responded, "when we were in the MPs and Cayce hadn't adopted you guys as brothers yet the last year we served together."

"What's this?" Murray asked.

The object he was holding was made of wire mesh with a top that slid open. It was approximately seven and a half inches by five and a quarter inches by two inches. Twenty-four inches long had a red, four-inch handle.

"That's a popcorn maker," Erika informed him.

"Really? I don't see any way to plug it in."

Erika giggled. "You don't plug it in, silly."

Taking it from him she showed him how it opened and explained how it worked.

"Boss! Can we make some?"

"Sure," Cayce said. "We'll show you how to do it. Maybe you can make the second batch."

Cayce and Erika retreated to the kitchen to get the popcorn, butter and salt as well as a couple of large bowls to put it in once the corn was popped.

Before long Murray was fascinated by the process and managed to not burn the second batch he made. Nothing would do but Nick and Cody had to give it a try as well and soon everyone was munching on the fluffy treat.

There was hot chocolate, and coffee and two bags of marshmallows to toast.

A few minutes later Andy Williams could be heard on the stereo again. Only this time it was "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Everyone sang along:

It's the most wonderful time of the year

With the kids jingle belling

And everyone telling you "be of good cheer"

It's the most wonderful time of the year

It's the hap-happiest season of all

With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings

When friends come to call

It's the hap-happiest season of all

There'll be parties for hosting

Marshmallows for toasting

And caroling out in the show

There'll be scary ghost stories

And tales of the glories of

Christmases long, long ago

It's the most wonderful time of the year

There'll be much mistletoeing

And hearts will be glowing

When loved ones are near

It's the most wonderful time of the year

There'll be parties for hosting

Marshmallows for toasting

And caroling out in the snow

There'll be scary ghost stories

And tales of the glories of

Christmases long, long ago

There'll be much mistletoeing

And hearts will be glowing

When loved ones are near

It's the most wonderful time

It's the most wonderful time

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

And, once again, for the Riptide detectives, it was - even for Nick.


End file.
